Central Texas bounced through spring, skipping over late May and June, and landed, smack dab, in July. Or so it seems when venturing outdoors. It’s hot here, hotter than it should be in late spring, and hotter than this perspiring gardener prefers. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the heat–in July, August, and I’ll even tolerate it for some of September. But as the temps creep ever closer, day-by-day, toward 100F / 38C (in the forecast for the next few days), this toasty trend heralds the coming of the The Long Hot of summer here in Austin.
The heat is a little early for my taste, but as the saying goes: Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.
These Rock rose, Pavonia lasiopetala, are also hot, hot, hot, but in the pink sort of way. I’m certainly not complaining about them.
The sunflowers nod their approval of Rock rose.
Most of my Rock rose began blooming toward the end of April and are still pinking-up the garden. I’ll prune them in the next few weeks as they bloom best on new wood. They’ll continue to flower in our hot weather and with minimal water, but the flowers will close in mid-afternoon to conserve moisture.
We all hunker down in the heat.
Rock rose mix nicely with other early summer bloomers, like Big red sage, Salvia penstemonoides, and Yarrow, Achillea millefolium.
I transplanted the Big red sage in the fall from my increasingly shady back garden. They’re much happier here. The Yarrow is also blooming better now that the front garden receives more sun.
This little guy looks like he’s waiting for me to leave, so that he can enjoy his breakfast of petals or leaves.
Look closely at the pollen grains on his legs.
I prefer seeing this little gal.
Slurp, slurp with her little bee proboscis.
Summer has arrived: time to don hats, slather sunscreen, gulp water, enjoy (or tolerate) the heat,
…and value the flowers of summer.
My Gardener Says... 
You’ve solved one little identification issue for me — the yarrow. I figured out pretty quickly it wasn’t Queen Anne’s lace I was seeing, but I’m still traveling, and not in a position to spend a lot of time on IDs. In any case, the entire states of Missouri and Arkansas are blanketed with the stuff. It really is pretty.
I’ve been amazed by how much spring is left just a couple of states north. There are ditches filled with spiderwort, and a good bit of pink evening primrose. In Kansas City, I found pussy willow! And believe it or not, I found a Missouri prairie covered in native wild roses. It was beautiful, and something I never expected to see. I’ll have a couple posts when I get back, with photos of fllowers both similar and different. I have a feeling a little indoor time at the computer will be just the ticket in the middle of the day next week!
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Oh my, a field covered with wild roses! Be still my beating heart!
Interestingly, my yarrow hasn’t bloomed for the last two years, though it’s bloomed with almost no care for the last 20 years (or so). The only thing that I can think that’s different is that it had become just too shady. When I lost the half of the Arizona ash in my front garden, well that opened up a whole bunch of sunshine for the garden!
Oh, I miss spring! It’s so hot here, I’m whining already. Safe travels and enjoy your cool.
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Is yarrow always SO white? What came up around the driveway was a nice mix of soft yellows, oranges and creamy white; but I do not remember ever seeing any that were bright white. Those that were white were either creamy white, or like the color of popcorn. I do not remember the seed mix. I have not looked for it it white because, for that garden, I did not really want all white. In some areas where we have Algerian ivy, I think that bright white would look better. I have not considered yarrow.
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The yarrow I have is a passalong given to me probably 20+ years ago. It’s the North American native, which has a wide range. I’m happy that it has more sun this year and apparently, it is too!
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It is funny how the unimproved natives (as well as exotics) are often better than the improved garden varieties.
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Yes! I’ve noticed that too. Sometimes, the more we mess with stuff, the worse it is.
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Sorry you skipped ahead to the blaze, Tina. Up here in Oregon, we have a bit of an unusual cold spell instead, and today it even rained! Grateful for that, because we are already quite dry. As for the cool weather – I’m enjoying it while it lasts. 🙂
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Thanks, Anna. Our summers are long and now, they are longer. And, I’m older. 🙂 I miss traveling to Oregon–such gorgeous summers! I’ll need to make another trip in the not-too-distant future.
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My hours of gardening has decreased with the heat. The plants are on their own now.
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Yep, it’s sink or swim. Or rather, sizzle or survive!
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Tina feels very sorry that she has to endure 38ºC. So much heat can not be tolerated so soon, although last year in Spain we were the same. However this year here in the country house and in Madrid in a lesser way, we have April, May and what we have in June with rain or storms and with temperatures of 16º Centigrades in the country house and 20º to 22ºC in Madrid. If we could make a change, it would give you three days of rain and you would give me 8º C. Would you like it? Let’s go for the flowers. I love the Rock Rose. The big red Salvia and the Millennial are beautiful. The Slurp eating on the flower in a magnificent photo, like the others. Your garden is beautiful despite the heat. May the heat be mild. Have a nice weekend. Take care. Greetings from Margarita.
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‘May the heat be mild’–yes, indeed! It’s going to be a long, hot summer, this year. I imagine the garden will be tired by the end of August. You take care too!
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The plants look very happy even if the gardener is not so happy with the heat.
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Yes, they do! I guess that’s what matters, though.
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Yikes, that would be too hot for me! But your plants look great. These days Laramie is at its best — “highs” in low 80s, native wildflowers in my yard really getting going. But it will be awhile before we see sunflowers–mine are a little over an inch tall right now.
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Yikes! It’s too hot for me, too! Your temperatures sound very nice, though I guess you pay for that in winter. This is our tough time of year.
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I love rock rose-of course-but this year they are just not doing well. Very few have seeded and I normally have tons of them. Hopefully there is still time. I would hate to be without my signature plant.
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Of course you love Rock rose, Rock Rose! I’ve always got plenty–ping me if you want some.
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That is surely a very intense pink! Love the sunflowers, too. What were those little critters on the flowers?
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Yes, they’re very pink! I usually describe the rock rose as Barbie doll pink. There’s some variation in the pinks, as well. If you look at the last photo, the rock rose just above the little white Blackfoot daisy is a deeper pink than the others.
I never actually looked up the critter; I think it’s an instar of a katydid or some sort of grasshopper. I thought it was quite cute.
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